Chapter 8 #2
“You’re not going to get in trouble, are you?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Not at all. The visitor database is a courtesy. Stand here.”
I stood where he pointed, then held my hand out when asked.
His fingers flew across a holographic display that appeared above the column. After a moment, he nodded to himself.
“You have been added.”
“Ooook, and what does that do?”
“Oh!” he looked a bit flustered. “It scanned your biometrics and palm. I also set it to English as your language. Most people have implanted translators, so they will be able to converse. But this will tell visual displays how to adjust for you. There should be no issue, wherever you plan to go… though you will not know what the food options are. The system can help with that, though. It will not know Earth foods, but it will understand salty, sweet, savory, meat, vegetable, dessert, or compounds like caffeine or capsaicin, since I know some humans are partial to those. I also added enough credits from my account to make any kind of sightseeing easy, though I would not recommend… ummm… tokens to remember your trip?”
“Souvenirs?”
“Ah, yes. That is the word.”
“Didn’t add enough credits for that?” I jabbed with a laugh.
He bristled slightly. “Not at all! It is just… you may not be allowed to keep them.”
“Oh… yeah.” I deflated. Even if the Lyll government thought whatever I bought was safe, there was no guarantee that the US military wouldn’t take an interest in it.
“You didn’t have to give me money,” I said softly.
He smiled and settled a hand on my shoulder. “You are my friend, and my guest.” His cheeks deepened with a blush. “I did have to list you as my mate, though.”
“What?” I wheezed.
“The system for humans is quite limited, since technically you are not supposed to be here unless mated. You were granted special permission, but sponsor was not an available option.” He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed.
I nodded. “I think I get it? But do all visitors have to have a sponsor?”
He shook his head. “No. Most use the visitor database for the courtesy it is, and many races use similar technology, so they are comfortable registering and using it themselves. But since you are human, and lack the implants we use, it is set up differently for you.”
“Oh.”
The column made a noise, and Eashai jumped.
“Ummm?” I asked.
He grabbed something out of an opening that appeared on the side. “Hold out your arm,” he instructed. “Like you are going to look at… the clock some wear on their wrist.”
“A watch?”
“Yes.”
I held my arm up as instructed, and his blue hand swept across the top of my wrist. In its wake, a series of lines appeared.
“What…?”
“Since you lack implants, that can provide information when you are away from a terminal or following directions to a location.”
“What is it?” I asked, noticing a slight sheen when I tilted my arm to look at the interconnecting lines.
“It connects to the information network and generates a small holographic display if needed.”
I tried to peel up a corner, but it seemed embedded in my skin. “It’s not a sticker?”
Eashai held up something clear. “This was the backing. It embeds just under the surface to use bioelectric pulses.”
“Is it permanent?” I asked, wondering how I’d explain a strange tattoo to my students.
He laughed. “It is not. It will dissolve and be absorbed safely by your body by the time we return to Earth.”
“That quickly? It’s the day after tomorrow, right?”
He nodded. “I input the duration of your visit when I added you to the system, so it knows when its job is done.”
“I’m sure any government officials were pissed that they couldn’t wear these back to Earth to study them.”
He grinned. “The few who were here, and it was a very small number, did not receive them. The officials were granted limited movement. You have far greater access.”
“Really? Why?”
He shrugged. “For the same reason you were allowed to come. The chance of an accidental mating is slim. We have noticed that some officials from your planet… hide… their preferences. We did not wish to start an incident between our peoples—and your governments—by allowing a mating to occur. They were so determined to prevent it that any Lalyllte who was in contact with that group was given a special kind of pheromone suppressant that was developed for the occasion, though I hear the side-effects were unpleasant.”
“That sounds like some serious precautions.”
“They were. However, most felt they were needed.”
“How many other humans have visited? Besides me and some government officials?”
“I do not know for sure, but I am certain the number is small. No country has started official matings, though there have been an expected handful of accidental ones… on Earth. We expect the program to begin in earnest very soon, though. One stipulation was that we would share select technology only after the programs had started, not during the research period. We felt it was the best way to ensure that no government attempted to hinder the research in an attempt to avoid people mating with us. We want the research performed, insisted on it actually, but…”
I let out a single laugh. “I get it, as a race, we’re not ready to be trusted.”
“That is the unfortunate reality.”
I shook my head. “I bet some people were mad as hell about it, but it was a good call.”
He smiled, then frowned. “It is time for me to get to the lab. Do you recall the way to my home?”
I nodded. “Do I need a key or anything?”
He shook his head. “I did remember to add you to my approval list. You may come and go at will.”
“Ok, and how do I use this thing?”
I shivered slightly as he slid his fingertips under my wrist to steady my arm.
Then he used his free hand to point to where several lines intersected.
“Press there to activate it by voice. It does have some limitations. It gets its instructions from terminals, so if you are out of range, it will guide you to the nearest one to complete your query. If you need to follow directions after visiting a terminal, it has enough internal memory to guide you to your destination.”
“Ok,” I breathed, focused more on where his fingers were on my wrist than his words.
Why does that feel so nice?
The loss of contact was a jolt to my system when he released me.
“I am sorry,” he murmured. “I must go. They are expecting me.”
I forced myself to nod, mouth dry as I let out an “Ok.”
“The terminal system can locate you with this. So I will find you once my work is done.”
“I hope they don’t keep you too long. I’d like for you to be the one to show me your world.”
“I shall do my best to conclude the day quickly.” He stepped back. “I will be back later.”
“See you later.”
He flashed me a strained smile, then hustled off in a new direction
It was only once he was out of sight that I felt I could breathe properly again. I leaned against the column-terminal-thing. “What was that?” I whispered.
“Please restate query,” it answered.
∞∞∞
Despite not having packed my swim trunks, I still ended up at the beach.
Part of me had been desperate to find a science museum and wander its halls for hours, absorbing every scrap of information I could understand.
But my pragmatic side knew better. Just as I couldn’t take back any tech that might interest the military, I couldn’t take back knowledge like that.
I hadn’t been told I’d be debriefed, but I still had to expect it.
Playing the part of a tourist was the safest option for everybody. And tourists loved beaches, right?
Even then, it took all my willpower not to try to determine why the sand was green. Or how the trees lining the beach seemed to have crystal fruit that sounded like tinkling windchimes in the breeze.
So I rolled up my pants and focused on the cool water swirling around my ankles. I listened to the small group of musicians who’d set up off to one side and seemed to be using the sounds from the trees as inspiration. I watched couples and small groups linger and play.
And I tried not to miss Eashai.
I understood he had to work, but he was my friend, and I was sure there were all sorts of things he loved about his planet that he wanted to show me.
I thought about the sights on Earth I’d never get to show him—at least not until his presence didn’t have to be kept a secret.
In the long run, both of our peoples would benefit. But the short-term personal cost was high.
The green sand was soft under my back, my shirt removed so I could use it as a pillow as I lay there. According to the thing on my arm, I’d been at the beach for nearly three hours, and it had been just around four since Eashai had to go into work.
Would I see him soon, or did I have longer to wait? Lyll had a twenty-seven-hour day. Were work hours longer because of that?
The light seemed different than when I’d arrived, and he did say it was winter.
But the seasons were also milder. Did that mean the extremes of light and dark were similarly lessened?
I stared up at the clouds, wondering how it must feel to him to have grown up seeing those in the sky every day, and now exposed to the sunlight on Earth.
Footsteps, I tilted my head back to see him approaching, a smile on his face.
I shifted, ready to greet him.
“I will sit,” he stated before I could get up. “I rather enjoy this beach and will relax with you, unless you wish to leave.”
“Ok,” I replied, settling back against the sand.
A moment of shuffling, then he was seated next to me, his gentle blue just at the edge of my peripheral vision.
“I had expected to find you at a museum,” he said after a few seconds.
“I wanted to, I really did.” I sighed. “But I know better. I may not be in the military, but they’re still going to insist on finding out what I learn here. So it’s safest for everybody if I don’t intentionally put that target on my back.”
He was quiet before he spoke again. “It is regrettable that you must have such considerations.”
“Yeah…” I took a deep breath. “How was work?”
“It was good. My team spent the morning going through all the samples, and they are happy with the variety. It meant we were able to focus on planning the testing parameters.”
“What kind of samples are you getting?”
“Nothing invasive, if that is your question. I believe you call them cheek swabs.”
“That’s all?”
“For the time being, it is the most effective means of getting the diversity we require.”
“Quantity over quality?” I asked.
He chuckled. “The quality is sufficient for current testing parameters. But yes, quantity is our current focus. Demographic variety is critical to ensure that we do not miss something that may be affected.”
I nodded. “Makes sense. Human genetics have changed considerably in the time since that initial group was brought here. Whatever factors the virus acted on may have evolved out completely, or exist in only a subset of modern humans. Hell, it might have been something only in the hybrid women. But you don’t know what you don’t know. ”
“An interesting way of putting it, but correct. Until we discover any sort of answers, we must act with an abundance of caution.”
Movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see him remove his top, revealing an abdomen that wasn’t quite toned, but well-managed. He then balled his shirt up like I had mine, shifted, and moved to lie beside me.
A spark of sadness shot through me. Eashai was a kind, smart, and handsome man. It was a shame he’d been unable to find another mate after losing his first.
The sound of the waves and the chatter of other beachgoers surrounded us, but we stayed in comfortable silence for several minutes.
“I was wondering…” I started. “Before you walked up, I was looking at the clouds and thinking it must be weird to be on Earth now with the sun beating down on you every day.”
He chuckled. “It is interesting. It might have been a problem if our genetics were purely Lalylltiar, or if light skin had evolved in humans earlier. However, the humans originally brought here had dark skin. Somehow, our bodies here decided that those mechanisms were still useful, so they never evolved out. I believe that is why we have largely been able to tolerate the increased exposure to solar radiation on Earth.”
“Largely?”
“A few have had to start applying… sunscreen?”
I laughed. “As a white man, I know what a nuisance that stuff can be.”
He chuckled, then hummed. “This is nice. It has been too long since I relaxed here.”
I smiled. “I’m glad I came then.”
“As am I.”
The silence returned, but it was the sort of comfortable silence that merely the presence of a good friend was enough to fill. Words weren’t needed.
I tried to remember the last time I’d been close enough with somebody to be so comfortable. Between friends moving for jobs, getting married, and having kids, I’d slowly found myself more and more on the sidelines.
Now, most of the time spent with them was lunches or dinners, maybe a short outing before we each returned to our normal lives.
“I received permission for you to visit the lab tomorrow,” Eashai said after several minutes. “If you still want to see it.”
“I do,” I replied with a grin.
“You are not concerned about your government’s questions?”
I licked my lips. “I am, but not as much. I probably won’t understand the technology, and I think the lab is probably dealing with knowledge that has been shared regarding your and our DNA.”
“Your reasoning is solid.”
I smiled. “Would your team here be excited to meet a human?”
He burst into laughter. “That would be an understatement. Travel to Earth is restricted for us as well.”
“Our governments being asses?”
He chuckled. “No. It is once again to minimize risks, so it is our doing, not yours.” He paused.
“The whole purpose of all of this is for us to find mates among you. So the first requirement is that any man traveling to Earth must either be unmated, or have lost their mate. This keeps the number suppressed, which also makes it safer in that there is less chance of humans potentially noticing anything strange and asking questions.”
“I get it,” I sighed.
“One day,” he stated firmly. “One day, there will be free travel between our worlds. Of that, I am sure.”
I smiled. “I hope I’m alive to see it.”
“As do I.”
The comfortable silence returned for several minutes before I heard a grumbling sound and an embarrassed chuckle.
I glanced over to see him rub his stomach, then he faced me, and his cheeks darkened with a blush.
“Are you hungry?” Eashai asked. “My favorite restaurant is not far.”
“Is anything far when you can travel as fast as you do?”
He laughed. “We can walk there from here.”
I shifted and sat up. “Dinner sounds perfect.”
I glanced over to see him smiling up at me. “Then let us go eat.”